Welcome to the Patchwork Blog! I hope you enjoy reading my random thoughts about life, Jesus and the freedom he offers.

Saturday 26 May 2012

Seeking the healer not the healing

My last post got me thinking. Writing it made me realise even more that it was the deepening of my understanding of the Abba Father love of God that gave me the confidence to really surrender my eating disorder, my emotional eating to Him. Until then I had been seeking healing, seeking freedom from my overeating rather than focusing on God Himself. My focus had been on the healing, on what I would gain (or rather what weight I would lose).

I did make some progress doing this. I did start to learn to identify emotions and let some of them out in a more safe and healthy way. However, my main way of dealing with difficult emotions remained food. I decided to shelve my seeking freedom from overeating for the time being. I wanted to learn more about God as Father. I had a growing realisation that my relationship with God was a relationship with Jesus not with Father. Jesus came to bring us to His Father, not just to himself.

I realised that my own earthly father hadn't helped in my view of God and then I saw Mark Stibbe's book 'I am your Father' in the book shop at St Paul's Hammersmith in London. I knew I just I had to buy it. Reading it really helped a lot. I learnt more about Father. I highly recommend it .

The closer we get to Father, the more we allow Father to be everything to us the more we are transformed to His likeness. It is an automatic reaction. I think knowing God's Fatherhood more enabled to just let go of the eating disorder. There was something else to replace it - a relationship with Father. He filled all the places in my heart I tried to fill with food.

We get closer to God, we surrender more to Him and automatically we are changed to be more like Him. That is why when we finally see Him face to face we will be changed in the twinkling of an eye.

1 John 3:2 (New King James Version) -  Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is.

1 Corinthians 15:51-53 (New King James Version) -  Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed—  in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.  For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality

Seeing God, seeing what He is like will change us completely in the twinkling of an eye.  But while down here we see don't see as clearly as we might wish.

I Corinthians 13:8-12 - Love never fails. But whether there are prophecies, they will fail; whether there are tongues, they will cease; whetherthere is knowledge, it will vanish away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part.  But when that which is perfect has come, then that which is in part will be done away.When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man, I put away childish things. For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known.

Until we see Him face to face, and are changed completely all at once,  we can seek to know Him as well as we can here. The more I know Him, the more I know His truly life changing love, the more changed I am to His image. Seek Him with all your heart. God tells us to seek Himself not because He is egotistical. He tells us this because He knows it is the way to true freedom and He longs for us to have true freedom. Seek Him! Seek the healer. Seek the giver not the gift. Therein lies true freedom. Therein lies the way to soar in the heights!

6 comments:

  1. A wonderful thought Lynda
    Its only His grace we need and its His face we seek.

    I pray that you will continue to do so.

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  2. Thanks Chris,
    Every blessing to you too!

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  3. Brilliant Lynda,
    I hope you don't mind but I'm going to encourage our church to read this.
    I sense many of us look to the healing, rather than the healer.
    Who knows, you might get a sale or two out of it too! 80)

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  4. Hugh, glad you agree with what I have written. If I can help others with the help I have received that is great (sounding like 2 Cor 1:3 isn't it!).

    Actually reading Mark Stibbe's book 'I am your Father' really helped a lot. I meant to mention it in the post so I will go back and add it now I think!!

    You can tell as many of your church as you like to read my blog! I write it to be read!

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  5. I recently had this experience of the Spirit speaking the words 'precious son' to me over and over. It blew me away and remember thinking, 'this could transform my life!' It's often hard though to stay in that place of revelation, and perhaps will be until we reach that perfect place in His Presence. But I want to grow in maturity and knowing His Father love more and more.

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  6. Wow! What an experience! I think for me the transforming love of Abba Father is key to so much. When all we do is focus on Jesus we miss out I think. And I know what you mean about how hard it is to stay in the place of revelation. It is part of our journey isn't it. One day we will see Him face to face and I can't wait!

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